Innovations in Teaching Styles and Approaches Based upon Adult Learning

Educational Climate In Elective Adult Education: Shared Decision Making and Communication Patterns

“…Teachers, in turn, shared primarily class management decisions with their students. Most of the literature regarding shared decision making and andragogical theory in adult education limited the definition to teacher-learner sharing (Davenport & Davenport, 1985;Knowles, 1972;McKenzie, 1979). However, in the courses investigated in this research, teachers owned few content decisions that could be shared.…”

“…When these variables are examined within adult or continuing education classes, the search for effective climate becomes even more complex. Knowles (1972Knowles ( , 1984 has emphasized the importance of climate in creating an effective environment in which to pursue the andragogical model of adult education. He divides climate concerns into physical and psychological.…”

“…Darkenwald and Gavin (1987) examined the influence of social climate on dropout behavior, while DeYoung (1977) investigated the effect of climate on class success at the university level. The extent of the omission of climate as a variable in adult education research is surprising when one considers the potential impact of the educational environment in the attainment of content proficiency (Knox, 1980), self-directed learning (Brookfield, 1986;Spear & Mocker, 1984), and andragogical theory (Knowles, 1970).…”

“…Darkenwald and Gavin (1987) examined the influence of social climate on dropout behavior, while DeYoung (1977) investigated the effect of climate on class success at the university level. The extent of the omission of climate as a variable in adult education research is surprising when one considers the potential impact of the educational environment in the attainment of content proficiency (Knox, 1980), self-directed learning (Brookfield, 1986;Spear & Mocker, 1984), and andragogical theory (Knowles, 1970).While it is a simple matter in climate evaluation to calculate student-teacher ratios or to survey teachers to determine their years of experience, it is much more difficult to map social systems and belief structures which play a major role in student and teacher perceptions of climate (Tagiuri, 1968). In these latter instances, it is the nature of the communication and interaction which determines the quality of the educational environment.…”

Challenging Teachers’ Pedagogic Practice and Assumptions about Social Media

“…Bain (2004) argues that students are more likely to engage with course content if they are given the option to devise questions about their own life and work contexts. Giving students choices about what they learn and in a way that reflects how that knowledge will be used in their work and life is a key aspect of encouraging deep approaches to learning for adult students, and is underpinned by the principles of andragogy (Knowles, 1972) and authentic e-learning design (Herrington, Reeves, & Oliver, 2010). As technology continues to disrupt the traditional view of learning and teaching and of teacher and student roles, teachers' assumptions about the use of technology should be challenged (Walker, 2002).…”